
Rob Morrow and Janine Turner are thrilled to welcome long-time Northern Exposure enthusiast Kurt to the show!
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Alex Goldman
Hi, I'm Alex Goldman. You may know me as the host of Reply all, but I'm done with that. I'm doing something else now. I've started a new podcast called Hyperfixed. On every episode of Hyperfixed, listeners write in with their problems and I try to solve them. Some massive and life altering and some so miniscule it'll boggle your mind. No matter the problem, no matter the size, I'm here for you. That's Hyperfixed, the new podcast from Radiotopia. Find it wherever you listen to podcasts or@hyperfixedpod.com
Kurt
foreign.
Rob
Hi there. Welcome back to Northern Disclosure, where my lovely co host Janine Turner and I discuss all things Northern Exposure going through episode per episode. And we so appreciate y' all tuning in and leaving your comments, which we do look at and occasionally read on on the air. We have a good show today. I'm excited about it. How you doing, Janine?
Janine Turner
I'm just fine. Fine. Hot here in Texas.
Kurt
Hot.
Janine Turner
I know everyone's hot on the east coast and even Utah and all, but, you know, we're used to the heat. So if it's 95 degrees, it's almost a cold front for us here.
Rob
Well, good. Well, you look, well, you look like you're very summery and relaxed.
Janine Turner
Summer outfits.
Rob
It's a good thing.
Janine Turner
It's a good thing. How are you, Rob?
Rob
Yeah, I'm good too. I'm digging the summer. I love it. I'm like, you know, in shorts and a T shirt all day and biking around and feeling good.
Janine Turner
Do you go to the beach often since you're so close to the beach?
Rob
It's funny going to the beach Tonight, my Devin and I are having a picnic, a dinner picnic on the beach. We're going to take our bikes and some food and go bike down there and have a picnic.
Janine Turner
It's a date night.
Rob
It's a date night. Sure, we have a lot of date nights, but this, this is where I guess we, we're actually planning something with just her and I. So it'll be nice.
Janine Turner
Oh, well, that'll be nice.
Kurt
Yeah.
Janine Turner
I miss the ocean, especially this time of year. Or I wish I had a pool. A pool would be really great because it just get hot. But we're, we're, we're. It's all good. All good. All good. I'm glad we're doing this show. This was a unique show. I know you and I have a lot of memories about this particular show.
Rob
I love this show. I, you know, it's funny because there's something about. I think I love the memory of making it more than the show itself. I think the show is good, but the memory of it, I just remember, I think we both had this sense of. This is an episode called Gross point. It's the four. It's season four, episode 14. And we shot it in an entirely new location. It's where Maggie o' Connell goes back home and takes Joel with her to her family in Grosse Pointe, Michigan. And so we shot on a location in Seattle that doubled for Michigan. And it was a kind of. And it was all new cast of characters, all Jeanine's, Maggie's family. And there was something just refreshing. It was like a palate cleanser, you know, like a break from the routine, which now we're in over 50 episodes here. So you start to sense you're doing the same things. And so when you get a break like this, I just remember really feeling like we were off making a movie that was a different show. You know what I mean?
Janine Turner
Yeah. We had gone on location for it. Wasn't it called It Happened in Juneau too, where you were at the convention.
Rob
And by the way, by the way, wait a minute. James Marsters, who played the bellhop in that episode that you just referred to, plays the Reverend in this episode.
Janine Turner
Oh, wow.
Rob
It's one of the rare times where someone is cat. James Masters, who went on to become very famous with Buffy the Vampire and. And it's sequel, I think angel, but a great guy. And, and he, we. We saw him, I think, Janine, when we were down doing that convention. I don't know if you remember, but he, he's. He's one of the rare people that they liked him so much that they cast him in two different parts, you know, three years later or something like
Janine Turner
that, which never happens. That never happens. They just rarely, rarely ever do. Fun to be on location. I have so many memories about it. Just which. Whenever we want to start talking about it, just even when I was standing in the kitchen and opening the drawer and being in somebody's house, I mean, it's very tangible to me. And I think as we talked about last week, it's these things that are new in your brain when things are just kind of the regular. You show up and you go to the brick. You don't have all those kind of memories. But it's when things are unique. I have so many memories about it, but it was a lot of fun. And I was thinking about it sometimes. I think the show didn't exactly work. And I haven't really been able to put my finger on it, but I'm sort of just realizing after watching, you know, the opening scene, you and I have our usual banter and so we were in gear, but the rest of the show we were kind of reacting to everybody else and that was a new sort of thing. And maybe that's what was throwing me. I was reacting and I didn't. I wasn't sort of the driving force in the scenes. I was the receiving force in the scenes. And I just think that that was kind of new. Not that that made the show good or bad. I just think that that was kind of a new. Maybe that's what. I don't know. There's something about it. I can't quite figure it out, but it's still a unique. Well, I thought the guest stars were awesome. And the, you know, the whole brother, sister and the crazy grandmother and all that. It was really. And Bebe Besh is always terrific.
Rob
Bebe Besh, who's the. The. Her daughter, Samantha Mathis is a friend of mine and she's back again. Barbara Townsend as Granny Dylan Baker, my pal from New York. I was so excited when he showed up. He. Jeffy. I was so happy to work with him. Lisa Waltz, who was Steffi. Jeffy and Steffi, as I said, James Marsters. Let's see, we have D. David Morin, who played your kind of one time boyfriend, who I play basketball with. Oh, yes, it's a great cast, big cast. But I think that's an interesting point you make about how we were reacting more in this episode than driving it. Although Joel gets a little aggressive when he plays basketball and stuff. But I'll read the. I'll read the little synopsis. Invited to Michigan for her grandmother's 80th birthday party, Maggie persuades Joel to accompany her, posing as her boyfriend, using a pair of Pistons versus Nick's tickets as bait. When they arrive, though, Maggie's grandmother has locked herself in the bathroom and will only let Maggie in to speak to her. As Joel frets about the basketball game, it's left to him to sort out the various crisises in Maggie's. None of which he was expecting.
Janine Turner
You know, I was thinking about the family drama. There's so much family drama and I love that. That's. I really like shows and situations that delve into the nitty gritty of the depths of what real families are like. Because most real families have drama. There may be a few that don't, but most of them do.
Rob
Yeah, I can't imagine any that don't. I mean, there's got to. I mean. Yeah, you're right. It does capture that, too.
Janine Turner
Well, I saw Disclosure Day because last time I hadn't seen it, and you'd seen it. And I want to go see it again, because I had my mother with me who kept saying, is it over yet? Do I get to go home? And I'm like, mom, there are people in the theater. There's not anybody in here, but it was still wonderful. But.
Rob
So you liked it?
Janine Turner
I did. I did. I'm really into all that.
Rob
Me, too. I have a lot of friends that don't like it, though. A lot of friends that really don't like it. But I loved it.
Janine Turner
I like the whole concept, too, of somebody else parallel universing, diving in to manipulate your personality. I don't know. I find it all really, really intriguing. But the panic attack that she had in that train. Who. That was phenomenal acting. I think she deserves an Oscar. I just thought that was so. And the way she went into those accents. But the point I'm making is Spielberg is so good at bringing out that family drama, like, what goes on behind and real emotions, and I really appreciate that. And that panic attack just kind of showed what life is really like behind the veneer of. And I think that's what this show is about. We all put on these veneers of what we want the world to see. But when you go behind the curtain, it's a whole nother deal. Which Fleischman got to see firsthand.
Rob
Yeah. And it's. It's nice because the way, you know, not to get ahead of ourselves, but the way the show ends, Fleischman gives. You know, he says, you get yourself. You know, he says. Fleischman says to o', Connell, he says, you got yourself a regular loony bin here. It's incredible. You survived. I don't know how you made it, you know, and it's like. He says it with such respect. Like he. You know, somehow they're. They're bonded, you know, in this way, because it's like, okay, he understands her a little better, you know, maybe why she had to leave that place and go to the farthest, extreme opposite world,
Janine Turner
but how she still loves him and still tries to make it work. And of course, my angst, watching it again, because I couldn't remember, is like, does he get to go to the Knicks game? I mean, does he get to go to the game? Do we make it to the game? And actually, we did we did make it to the game. I'm gathering because we left. I guess maybe we were a little late, I don't know. But Cattleman did a wonderful job, as usual.
Rob
I forgot. That's right. And Robin Green and Mitch Burgess wrote this. And always they're great with familial stuff. You know, they're a good team writers. And Cattleman is just. He's just gem. You know, he just. You can see him. I can just see all the details he got, you know, and I'll just point out this. There's this phenomenon that happens to me. I think I've mentioned it before, but there's a couple shots that I make playing basketball with. With David Morin. And normally I'm not a good basketball player, but when we're. When I'm playing a character that plays a sport, I always can do it when I'm shooting.
Janine Turner
Oh, that's fascinating.
Rob
It's the weirdest thing I know. Like when I have to golf, like. Or, you know, and so you see me sink a couple, you know, pretty long distance shots in it. And I just was fascinated by that. It just. It's something about the way the mind focuses or gets off itself or something.
Janine Turner
Meditating. You're meditating into it.
Rob
I guess so. Yeah.
Janine Turner
Zening. Zening There. Yeah. Well, there. There was a lot. A lot of drama, too. That's right. Because he starts to think he's having a heart attack and wait.
Rob
That was a weird moment, though. Whoa. That you don't even come down to say goodbye. What is that?
Janine Turner
I'm like, bye.
Rob
That was the strangest thing. I think it had something to do because all the wasps were like, oh, okay, see, you know, what's his name? See. See you, Jed Jetty. We'll see you. You know, but like, you're in the window and you don't even. He's your old boyfriend and your family friend and he's going to the hospital. You don't even come down. It's very. I found that very odd.
Janine Turner
Yeah, well, I think that may have been. That worked better on paper than it did when we filmed it.
Rob
Maybe.
Janine Turner
You know, because you write these things that you think are going to be really funny and sometimes they are and sometimes they aren't. But I remember filming in that house and we need to bring our guest on in a second. But I. I remember being in the house and opening a drawer and it was filled with all the peoples that live their things.
Rob
I think I remember you telling me that. Like, I think I. Or maybe Even showing me like so weird.
Janine Turner
It's like I put my hand into thinking. I, I thought, oh, I guess this is my naivete perhaps at the time, but. But I guess I thought everything in the drawers were gonna be props.
Rob
Right. Cause it was a real house that we rented for location.
Janine Turner
Yeah. And then I opened it up like, oh, oh, oh. I just, I just, I remember doing the scene in the kitchen where Steffi comes in, she has, I think where she has that meltdown. And I remember being in the bathroom and smoking those cigarettes and lying on the floor. I have a lot of. I remember it pretty tangibly.
Rob
It's funny, I remember, you know, I was shooting a scene for. I was on that show Billions and we were shooting in a real judges office at the courthouse in the Bronx. And I was sitting at his desk and so like you, I was sitting between takes and I started opening the drawers and they were like filled with prescription pill bottles. And I was like, what does this guy take?
Janine Turner
Oh my goodness. Yeah, yeah. Well, no, no to those who want to lease out their place.
Rob
Don't.
Janine Turner
I always wonder how much they make
Rob
you make Nowadays you make 10, 15k, maybe 5 for a little house per day. Plus there's a prep day, you know, and a post rap. I don't, I mean if you need the money I understand. But you know, usually I was making a movie once that I was directing and we had to throw something through a wall. So obviously we couldn't throw it through these people's wall. So we built a fake wall in front of the real wall and they threw the thing in. But when we went to wrap out of the location, the thing we threw went through the fake wall and through the real wall and we just moved a dresser in front of it.
Janine Turner
You're kidding. You didn't tell him?
Rob
No, because we couldn't. It was low budget thing and we were like, oh, just cover it.
Kurt
Oh.
Janine Turner
And they never figured it out. Or when they did, it was too late, I guess.
Rob
I think so.
Janine Turner
Oh, they're gonna get you now. They're gonna call. They're watching the show. They're gonna come go move the dresser. You're hoping not.
Rob
So who do we have today?
Janine Turner
We have our very special guest, Kurt. And Kurt lives in Seattle and of course I think they've done a marvelous job by the way, with the soccer games. I'm now completely a soccer fan. I'm completely.
Rob
Oh, cool. Me too. It's been really fun.
Janine Turner
Yeah, I really like it. I love. All the coaches are dressed in suits Most of them. A lot of them ties, they're so debonair. But anyhow, I thought Seattle did a great job with the Games. So Kurt lives in Seattle and he has been a Northern Exposure fan since its original run. And he and a group of dedicated fans from across the US put on fan festivals or put on fan festivals between 1999 and 2018 in Rawlins, where the series was filmed. And he lives in Bellevue, Washington where we filmed very close to there. My house was a little further down on Avondale. And he's getting ready to attend the informal Moosefest in Rosslyn, July 24th to the 26th. So, Kurt, my goodness, you and I have texted and had emails back and forth for so many years. I'm sorry I've never made one of your reunions. I single mom and all that. But it's great to have you on the show.
Kurt
Well, thanks so much. I'm honored to be here. It's a great pleasure for me. We had Rob do some phone interviews with us a couple times.
Rob
I did more than one. I can't remember. I knew I did one.
Kurt
Yeah, I think he did two or three or four.
Rob
Wow, that many. Oh, good. Well, it was always fun. I know that now that I did
Janine Turner
one and Diane was there now. God bless Diane.
Kurt
Oh my gosh, she is a hoot, isn't she? Diane Delano, she passed away.
Janine Turner
It's so sad. Yeah, but she was there and I was talking to her. So I do think I did maybe. I know I did one, at least one phone call.
Kurt
Yeah. Yeah. So we had, we've had. Had a lot of fans and a lot of the guest stars from the show come and did some phone interviews with people and we just had a great time over those years. So unfortunately it kind of winded down before prime picked it up and started showing it. And then Covid got in the way and the town lost interest. But we still get together.
Rob
Tell us a little bit about what, first of all, how you got involved, how you started and what it actually is. What is Moosefest?
Kurt
So it's like three days where we do fan related activities. The first one was put on in 97, so very only two years after the show finished. But that one did not go so well. So a group of us fans got together and said, hey, we can do a better job at this that we were at that one. So over the next 20 years, like 10 of us were the core committee and we decided we're just going to do this. And we just tried to break even. We didn't make a lot of money, but it was $165 for the three days of the festival. And we would have three or four catered meals, and we'd bring in the guest stars, and we'd have the phone interviews. And Dan Dusek, who was a location manager on the show, he would lead bus tours for us around and go out, like, way out the lake and say, oh, the Mononash Village was out here. And we'd go to the hilltop where Ruthanne danced on her grave.
Rob
Great location.
Kurt
Yeah, great locations. And the cliff where Joel broke his fast eating the orange at sunset and Chris drove his Harley off the cliff and things like that. So he would show to us some of those places. So now we have some fans that we get together still informally. There's 30 of us or so we just all end up the same last weekend in July there, and we just hang out and we'll go out and visit some of these locations, and we'll get dinners together and talk and drink and, you know, and then. We're not as geeky as Star Trek fans, probably none of us speak Klingon, for instance, but we have a great time, we talk a lot, and we even, like. We'll talk about the show sometimes.
Rob
Tell us, how did you come to the show originally? Like, you just discovered it on the air?
Kurt
Yeah, I guess I had seen the. The promos flying around, but it never really stuck to me. But one late night, I was channel surfing and I came across a piano flying through the air, and that's kind of what hooked me. So it was mid third season, I think that one was. So I had never seen the first ones, not until AE picked it up later and they started showing them. So I had not seen the first three seasons, which are just magical. Some of those episodes were just so wonderful.
Rob
That's so interesting that you. That. That you. That people will watch a show in midstream, get hooked, and then work their way backward. You know, it's. It's interesting.
Kurt
Yeah. And. And then the DVDs didn't come out for, you know, such a long time afterwards, so. So that's how I got into it. And I just. The show is just very special. The community. I think you had described it on an earlier one of your podcasts as a benevolent universe, and that really strikes a chord with me. And what a great show and great characters and great acting that really brought the depth of the characters into full view. And I just love the show. And what I say is that more Often than not, I love the people that love the show. And this is why the Moose Fest is like so fun, because we just hang out. And these days, as we're getting older, we will compare medications as often as anything else that we talk about. But we have a great time just hanging out.
Janine Turner
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Rob
Do you have a favorite episode?
Kurt
Probably my favorite is Aurora Borealis.
Rob
It's a great one.
Kurt
Adam first comes to town and then Bernard first shows up.
Rob
Great episode.
Kurt
It is an awesome episode. And up there, or spring break where hauling wants to fight everybody. So I was thinking about this particular the Grosse Pointe episode. Like, fans like to compare what are your top five and things like that. But I've never heard anyone say Grosse Pointe is in their top five. But when I put out on the group, hey, there's a fan Facebook group with 87,000 people in it for Northern Exposure. It's amazing. But I put out on the group, like, hey, hypothetically, if someone was going to be on the Northern Disclosure podcast about the group Gross Point episode, what would you want them to ask? And a couple people said it was among their favorite episodes. So it's as you said, it followed a little different pattern in that it was all one storyline rather than the three.
Rob
What'd they ask you to ask? Did they ask you to ask anything?
Kurt
Okay, so here we go.
Janine Turner
Wait, I want to interject for two seconds though, please, if I may. Okay. Gosh, I've had so many little questions. What is the name of the Facebook page?
Kurt
Fans of Northern Exposure?
Rob
Well, they kicked me off one of them. I was on one. And they kicked me off because some woman, some woman started talking about how I left the show because they wouldn't pay me enough money, which is completely not the truth. And I said that's not true. And you don't know what you're talking about. And they kicked me off, so I was like, okay, I'm done.
Kurt
Okay. So There are about 10 or 15 different groups.
Rob
Right. I don't know which one it was. I don't. I usually don't respond, but I just was like, come on, lady, you don't know what you're talking about.
Janine Turner
Well, I think it would be really good for us to check into that Facebook page and we'll have to, you know, make sure we post some things on there. I mean, our. These podcasts and kind of maybe have some of them come on the show. You know, the avid religious, dedicated, devoted fans.
Kurt
Right, right. Focused. We like to say the word focus because obsessed kind of, you know, doesn't sound good.
Janine Turner
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Well, of course, obsessions can be good at times, but some really. This would be fun to connect with a lot. Are they aware that we have the podcast?
Kurt
Oh, absolutely.
Janine Turner
Well, hi everybody. If you're watching.
Kurt
Oh, absolutely, yeah.
Janine Turner
And I just wanted to say too, that there's. When we lived out there, there we had that. We had to go to where cle Ellen for our little hotel, which was an old business, old business office. And now there's a gorgeous spa there.
Kurt
There is the sun. Katie Resort is just. Yeah, is gorgeous. With three championship level golf courses. Yeah, it's a great big resort. It's beautiful.
Janine Turner
Rob. They probably never would have put us up there anyway, regardless.
Rob
They would have. Yeah.
Janine Turner
You would have made sure.
Rob
Absolutely.
Janine Turner
Rob would have made sure. But, you know, we watched. When I went back to visit Seattle recently, I couldn't believe the freeways have been, you know, expanded and I had a hard time finding the studio. It just. It's so bizarre when you've been gone for 20, 25 years and you go back and you're like, oh, it's changed so much. And I think about that. But, you know, the town of Sicily, Roslyn, Sicily, has really remained. They've preserved that pretty very.
Kurt
Not much change there. So that's great.
Janine Turner
And do they still have the radio show as a little museum in there?
Kurt
Because they do. We had to move it. That used to be on the right side of the door, but we had to move it to the left side because the Rosslyn Downtown association, kind of the equivalent of a chamber of commerce, that they wanted to rent out that other space. So it's still there. A lot of Chris's studio is still there. And Fleischman's office. Yeah. Joel's office is still there in a gift shop.
Janine Turner
How do you how are you involved in helping make those decisions of keeping it and whatnot?
Kurt
I live in Bellevue on, you know, as you say, on the west side of the mountains. But I have a house, a summer house I go to in Roslyn, but. And so I have a lot of contacts and friends in the Roslyn area. But, yeah, they. They're their own town. They have their own things. I. I just know some of the people.
Janine Turner
And then you must have some influence, though.
Kurt
Yeah, I don't. I was able. I was able to save the studio. The building owner wanted to sell it off on. On ebay, you know, piece by piece. And I can. I convinced her that she should sell all the things to me. And then the. The current store owner there, that's there. She just lets us keep it all there for. As a. As a monument to the show.
Rob
So is an actual store. Is it just a. Empty.
Kurt
It's just a little piece carved out in the front window of. You know how. How. How the K Bear studio used to have that big front window that looked out over the street. So it's the same. It's a little piece of that, but it's the original soundboard and desk and chair and. And stuffed fish and wreck and records on the wall.
Rob
So what. Do you know where I want to try to talk about this episode a little bit? Do you know where we shot that? That was on. I think it was on Capitol. Capitol Hill. Little Hill somewhere.
Kurt
That makes sense. When I was watching it again, I tried to place it and that makes sense that it was in one of the affluent neighborhoods of Seattle.
Rob
Yeah, it was nice. It was definitely on the west side of the lake. I know that.
Kurt
Yeah, it was obvious there. In fact, one of the fans asked about. In fact, they got really upset that it was not the actual Gross point. Yeah. Because it was so obvious because the siding on the houses is totally different than Michigan.
Rob
Right. And probably the trees, too.
Kurt
And the trees and. Yeah. And all the greenery. Yeah.
Janine Turner
We always called that creative license because it's too expensive to fly the entire crew up to Detroit.
Kurt
Oh, yeah, of course. And I noticed the. You were talking about the in happen in Juneau episode that I went to high school in Juneau. And so I note at the beginning of that episode there's an aerial shot of Juno. And so that really was the real Juno. But the whole rest of the thing, you know, was filmed in Seattle. Seattle, yeah.
Rob
Same here. Same in Grosse Pointe. They show a bunch of shots of Michigan and then they cut in.
Janine Turner
Yeah, well, Rob was asking the top five, so I want to make sure we honor his question there. Rob, you want to know what. What most people said were their top five, correct? That was your question when I stepped in.
Rob
I don't know if I said that I was curious what I do, but I was curious what fans had asked about the show. You had said you put out a questionnaire.
Kurt
Yeah. So here's one. One fan said, congrats. Ask Rob if he can actually play basketball. It seemed like he had some game.
Rob
That's what I'm saying. That's what we were talking about at the top of the show. Janine and I. I was saying, like, I don't. You know, I just was able to. I don't know what it is. It's this phenomenon of actors, and when we get focused, you know, I can do things that I normally can't do. I don't know why. I mean, I played basketball as a kid, but I was never any good. But somehow I was able to put together a couple moves and some shots and.
Kurt
Yeah, no, you looked great. It was. I was. I was really impressed. I go, oh, he actually plays basketball. I thought when rewatching that episode, oh, well, that's good.
Rob
Then I fulfilled my task.
Janine Turner
Great acting. He did it. The method actor. He's a method actor.
Kurt
And you were talking about James Marster's. This must have been one of his very early roles, for sure.
Rob
But as you heard me say, he had been on the show, and I think it was the first or second season as a bellhop. He had, like, one or two lines in. I think it was in the episode. It happened in Juno.
Kurt
Yeah, I think it was. They were filmed at the. Ever at the. The Edgewater Hotel in Seattle.
Rob
That's right. That's right. Yeah.
Janine Turner
He did such a good job in this. In this episode, being flummoxed.
Rob
And I wonder if he lived up in Seattle and that's how he got cast.
Kurt
I wonder. Yeah, I don't know what else you got. Other folks just wanted to say they love the show. They love your acting, the writing, the town, the extras. They just. There are just so many people in that group of 87,000 people that just really love this show.
Rob
What did you. What jumped out to you about when you were watching it?
Kurt
At first, I think I may have only seen this episode once before, you know, when it went through the ae. So I hadn't watched. And at first I thought, oh, okay, this is in nobody's top five. It's just kind of a filler but as the whole episode went on, it just really has a tenderness. Like you say that moment in Joel at the end, coming to Maggie and saying, gosh, your family really is crazy and good for you. So there were just some really sweet, tender moments in there, and it was. It just reminds me that, like, every episode here has some magic.
Rob
I agree. And there's like. Like the moment, Janine, like the moment when you say, I have to go speak to Granny, and I'm like, I don't want to. And I'm like. I said, like, you know, over my dead body or something like that. And then you. We just have this look, and you give me this look, and it's like, I just kind of go, okay. You know, it's like, I don't even fight, but it's like this. So it's funny because I get your point, that it's not in people's top five. Even though. Though I. I think. I think my real reason for loving it was that it was a break from the monotony of the show. But there's these. There's. There's. There's a progression in the Maggie Joel thing that is, I think, worth noting, you know, and in that look is a very powerful look. Like, you give me this look, Janine, and I just kind of get it. And. And it's not like I get it, oh, Young, you're going to be a pain in the ass if I don't do it. It's just like, oh, no, I have to. To come to your. I have to be there for you. And I think at the end, it comes full circle when Joel kind of just says, okay, I see you, I see who you are, and I welcome it. Or something like that. So there's something there that's meaningful.
Janine Turner
I think there was a bond. There was just a connection, a bond, a love, in a way.
Rob
Yeah.
Janine Turner
It was something that just was deeper than, say, sex or attraction or that. And, you know, anti sex, which is, you know, where you fight now. You know, the whole kind of. It was deeper. It was more real.
Rob
Yes.
Janine Turner
So that was kind of tender and very sweet.
Rob
There's great moments where, like, I love when Joel says, you know, Joel's kind of looking at this WASP world, and Granny says, she's never. I found this hard to believe, but she. I guess there are people, but, you know, I've never met a Jew before, but that man. Joel says, what. What don't you put. You people put this stuff on. He's about the mayonnaise because it's in everything. I also think it's interesting that Fleischman reveals he hadn't had sex in two years.
Janine Turner
Oh, right. Yeah. The cultures. The difference in cultures. We used to be more pronounced during the time, but during the day. Back then. But, yeah. Today it would be kind of hard to imagine, but there are different cultures that do different things. Things.
Rob
Oh, for sure.
Janine Turner
Mayonnaise. Want some? A barbecue or pizza or. You know, I don't know what a Seattle food is, Kurt. I guess salmon.
Rob
Salmon, for sure. Dungeon is crab.
Kurt
Crab I love. But the salmon only wild caught. Just. I'm. I'm put. I'm spreading the word. Friends don't let friends eat farmed salmon.
Janine Turner
I know. And because it's not good for you, or because it's not from Seattle, it's
Kurt
not good for you, it's not good for the fish, it's not good for the ecosystem, and it doesn't tast nearly as good. Yeah.
Janine Turner
Yeah. So hard to get wildcat. It's hard for us to get wildcat here in Texas.
Kurt
They have these things called airplanes, though, and they can get fish around pretty fast, so.
Janine Turner
True, true, true.
Kurt
But one other thing I wanted to say about the opening scenes of this episode, that even the. When Maggie's trying to convince Joel to go with her, even that had tenderness and some moments, and it was not the usual sniping kind of interaction. So I just found a lot to really enjoy in this episode. Yeah.
Rob
And it's interesting to point out that no, it's just you and I. Is there any. There's no one else in the.
Kurt
There's no one else. Just the two of you.
Rob
So they were all happy. They were looking at seven days, eight days of vacation, paid vacation time.
Janine Turner
That was true. But I remember. I even remember standing in the dining room where we had the scenes around all the spread of food. I remember going into the living room and sitting there. It's just.
Rob
Just.
Janine Turner
It was very tangible.
Kurt
That was all in a house. I. Not a set.
Rob
Yeah. That was all. The house was all the whole thing. 100% on location.
Kurt
Wow. Okay.
Rob
I think it makes sense because you. You know, to. To. To build that would cost so much, and you can. And it's probably cheaper to rent it.
Kurt
Yeah. For one episode. Yeah.
Janine Turner
And bb BB Bash was always so wonderful. I'm glad she was in. You know.
Rob
Tell us about working with Bebe, because you guys seem to have such a nice rapport.
Janine Turner
Yeah. We had a nice bond. We really did. She was. I'm so sad. You know, she died of breast cancer shortly after, I think it wrapped.
Rob
Yeah. RIP B B. I remember she called me.
Janine Turner
We were friends. I think we were friends. And we. So we had a really nice rapport. And she was funny and intelligent, kind. And I was thinking about it too, because when we talk about the shows, a lot of times we want to have some juicy. But really, I think the show filmed pretty peacefully. I don't really remember any upsets. I remember walking into the house. I remember the cardboard that we put down so the cameras were rolling. The house and protect the house. The house was really sort of a main character to me. But I don't remember any big upsets or anything juicy or controversial that happened during the filming, do you?
Rob
No, I don't think there was anything. You know, I don't think. I think as a rule we didn't. There was not a lot of upset on our sets. You know, every once in a while someone would reach a point where they, you know, it was exhausting, you know. But no, I thought it was very copacetic. And I do. I do remember there was a kind of a appreciation of just the playfulness of it and those actors, you know, Dylan Baker coming out from New York and, you know, and BB Coming and being away from the routine.
Janine Turner
Well. And something people might not know because it's interesting. I had someone that was really familiar with film that was just. Didn't just thought all of us rehearsed days before we film. I'm like, oh, no, we don't rehearse. You know what I mean? We go from one show to the next to the next. And to think that we all just would arrive at 5am, 6am at this house that we've never seen before. All the new actors had been cast and come in and it's literally just. Hi. Okay, now you walk over here. How would you like, you know, do a little blocking rehearsal, then we may rehearse it a couple of times and then boom. So we're so. It's so fascinating that all these new characters could come in and they were all just. They were concentrating on. They had a lot of emotional work to do. I think you and I didn't have as much, but they had a lot of emotional work to do and they were concentrating on it. And you just have to be ready when they say action. It's such a different environment than theater. And I'm always marvel at that. The way actors just have to show up when they're called and maybe do the end of the script before the Beginning of the script and just do it.
Rob
You're right. It's like. It's. You know, and you can sense the history. You know, they. They created such a history. Like, for instance, between Steffi and. And. And Jeffy. You know, they. They created this. The sense that.
Kurt
That, that.
Rob
That they'd been together for a long time and they probably had just met that morning. You know, it is really what actors do. You have to become intimate with people very quickly, and it's why we form these bonds that when it takes a long time to realize that you're not going to be hanging out with these people, you think you're going to always see these people. They're always going to be in your life. But it's very rare where you stay connected to the people, even though you're so deeply entwined in their lives because of what you're speaking about. Janine. We open ourselves in a way that normal people don't. Normies. They don't have to open themselves to strangers. We have to meet someone, open our heart, open our soul, open our body sometimes, you know, and, you know, sometimes you're making out with someone you just met. It's just. It's. It's a wild phenomenon, but I wouldn't trade it for anything.
Janine Turner
Yeah. Yeah, it really is. And Kurt, I guess you didn't get a chance to visit us when we were filming because sort of discovered it, right? Are we over there?
Kurt
I did. I. Yeah. Even though I lived in the Seattle area, I did not realize it was filmed so close to me until after it had wrapped. So otherwise I certainly would have been the hundreds of people on the street, you know, watching the filming.
Janine Turner
The focused fans.
Kurt
The focused fans, that's right.
Janine Turner
Yes.
Kurt
Yeah. One thing I wanted to say, you were talking about, I don't know, conflicts on the set or something. Every time we would have the actors come into Moosefest, one of the questions someone would always ask, okay, give us some juicy dirt, you know, behind the scenes or something. And no one ever could. So that, I think, is a testament to how. What a great ensemble y' all had.
Rob
Yeah, I mean, look, we all had. We had stuff like every. Every situation has tension and conflict, and we had our moments for sure, but it wasn't. It wasn't. That wasn't the. You know, I've heard. I'm not going to mention names, but I know of a show where the two lead actors would not speak to each other after the first season, did not speak to each other, and rarely were in the same. When and when they didn't have to be in the shot, if it was someone' close up, say, and the other one wasn't there, they weren't there. And I just thought that just. I can't imagine a situation like that where I would not find some way to come to terms with that person. Because that, that, but it were. And the show was a big success, so it does happen. But I think, you know, for the most part, people, people try to get
Janine Turner
along and, and I cannot imagine not being there for someone when they're on. When they're, when they're on. Like if, if, if you film this master and you film my close up and then I just leave and I'm not there for your close up. I couldn't imagine doing that to anybody.
Rob
It happens, you know, it does happen and sometimes it's understandable, you know. You know, if they're on a crazy schedule and they have to be in at 7am and they don't, and it's not that important, the ad might say, hey, can you do it with another? You know, it, it happens. But as a rule, it's not, it's not good. And, and real actors stick around for, for off camera.
Janine Turner
Yeah. Though I did have a. They wanted me to do Strong Medicine and I did want to do it. Cause it was only two years, three years after I wrapped Northern Exposure. And I had a. Well, yeah, well, five. And I had a two, a baby, she was only two, and a single mom. I'm like, I'm not doing it. I don't want to work those hours. I don't want to work till, you know, 12:30 in the morning. I can't. I'm a single mom with this child. And they said, well, let's go home at 6:30. Well, let's go home. Or 6:00pm well, let you go home at 6:00pm but of course I was called in. I had to get up at 4:30 to get there at 6am and work every scene and only have 30 minutes with my daughter at lunch and then wrap at 6pm And I remember it was, I think it was. You know, sometimes makeup artists can give you the greatest tips. You know what I mean? And I remember this makeup artist looked at me and she said, make sure you hold to that 6 o', clock because you know PM when you wrap, because if you don't, they'll push it to 7 and 8, 9 and 10. And so I'm thinking, did I leave anybody in the lurch? But I don't think I did. I Think they knew that we just had to get everything wrapped for me, but because 12 hours is still a really long, long day.
Rob
Hell yeah.
Janine Turner
By the time you get home, it's seven. So it was quite the quit. I was trying to take care of my baby. It was quite the experience.
Rob
And there's a certain, you know, there's a performance anxiety that sets in. At least it does with me. Even if I'm. I'm never not prepared. I prepare. I always show up 150% ready to go. But there's this part of me that you may not see that has this anxiety. And when, the day, when I get wrapped, especially when I get wrapped on a project, a season ending, a movie ending, a play closing that night, that sense of letting that go is such an amazing feeling because you. Because I think to your point, Janine, about 12 hour day, you're there working 12 hours. There's a part of your brain that knows you have to keep this part of you alive. And if it's dramatic stuff, you've got to keep that, you know, going all day long, you know, so that you're ready at the moment's notice to give it. And so there's something that we have to do that people don't see that makes the job difficult. But if we do it well, it's how we were able to do it.
Janine Turner
Day in, day out. Day in, day out. For me, when I wrap a project, I always have anxiety.
Rob
I'm the opposite because I have been
Janine Turner
so focused, everything's been so focused to get through it. And then afterwards I'm sort of free floating fear, you know what I mean? Cause I don't have anything to put that focus on. So I always kind of feel like anxious when I'm finished. But it wears off and then, and then I get the relief. But there is an anxiety going in because of the responsibility of the intensity of the work that you have to do. Especially if you're on a movie or a miniseries or a movie the week or something of that nature. But when we're on, you know, episodic, we kind of get into a groove a little bit more. But still long days. Our days are like 18 hour days. Kurt, we don't want to ignore you here. Talk to us. Is there anything that you tell us what you, you know, anything. The show, the generally what you loved about the show, what you wish would been different? I mean, it's. I'm giving you the mic.
Kurt
Okay. Well, one of the things we would do at the Moose Fest is we would have a trivia contest and. And one of the very focused fans would sit down in front of the TV with a pen and paper and would write down trivia questions about that specific episode. And then we would have. At the Moosefest, we would have a trivia contest, and we'd go through, like, two or three, and whoever could get the most and would get some kind of silly little trophy or something. So if y' all are up for it, I've got some trivia questions about this episode.
Janine Turner
I'm gonna fail. I will not be good at this.
Kurt
No. Here. Okay, here we go. Here's the easy ones. What was Maggie's brother's name?
Rob
Well, I know that.
Janine Turner
Well, Jeffy.
Kurt
Jeffy. And his wife's name was Steffi. Stephie. See, though, it's not so hard.
Alex Goldman
Okay.
Janine Turner
That's easy, though, because we just talked about it.
Kurt
Okay, here. Here's one a little more challenging.
Rob
What was Maggie's Social Security number?
Kurt
I don't think that ever came up, but okay. So as Joel and Maggie are getting out of the car, what Jew did Maggie claim to have known while growing up?
Rob
Oh, yeah, I know.
Alex Goldman
Do you?
Rob
I remember the name. It was Ellis. Right?
Kurt
Wow, I'm impressed. Debbie Ellis. Yes, indeed. Very impressed. Okay. What is Jeffy's nickname for magic?
Janine Turner
There's a muffin there somewhere. But I guess it wasn't. I don't remember.
Kurt
Squirrel Face.
Janine Turner
Squirrel Face.
Kurt
Hey, Squirrel Face.
Alex Goldman
Yeah.
Janine Turner
What a terrible thing.
Kurt
And what cracked me up is later, and I can't remember the episode. And all my fan friends are going to get on me for not remembering which episode. But there's a dream sequence where Ed is going to introduce Joel to his cousin in the igloo. And he goes in, and it's really Maggie in there, right? Or something. And then she says in native tongue to Ed, he looks like a chipmunk or something. I thought of that immediately when watching this episode.
Janine Turner
Oh, and then, Rob, you did that funny little smile. But I just remember having to get the. I said sikumi glue. Sikumi glue. I remember that for some reason, because I had to learn to speak the language. And that meant ice. Do you want ice in your cup? And then she. She, you know, chisels the ice off the igloo. Do you remember that, Rob? That was so funny.
Rob
I do remember it. I do.
Kurt
Okay, here's the next question. What hors d' oeuvres does Steffi bring around to everyone?
Rob
I got it.
Janine Turner
Go ahead.
Rob
Deviled eggs.
Kurt
Yeah. Rob is really good here. All Right, Yes. What gift does Grammy give Maggie?
Janine Turner
I should know.
Rob
You should know that.
Janine Turner
I should, but I'm dealing with my mom. I got. I got a lot of drop, a lot of fire.
Rob
She gives you her. Her watch.
Kurt
Yep. Her engagement watch. Made out of.
Rob
It's gold.
Kurt
No, but a certain kind of gold.
Rob
Oh, rose gold.
Kurt
Pink gold. Which. Which nobody uses anymore.
Rob
So beautiful. Rose gold.
Kurt
Who does Joel credit with teaching him how to dribble left handed?
Rob
It's like his. His grandmother, aunt, Some female. Female elder. Right.
Kurt
His Aunt Ruth.
Rob
Aunt Ruth, yeah. Yeah.
Kurt
Wow. You know, and it's amazing you remember this, that. You know that those words came out of your mouth like one time, right?
Rob
Well, I remember because I watched it last night.
Janine Turner
Do you have any questions that are like, for. Generally for the show?
Kurt
Well, we would break it down by episode. So. And then we'd. We'd have people randomly pick from three by five cards, like, which episode? And then. And then we give them the synopsis of, like you did in the beginning here, of what that episode was about. And then it would depend how recently someone saw it, how focused they were, what kind of details they remembered. Like here, you know, like the Aunt Ruth, you know, was only mentioned one time briefly.
Janine Turner
Well, we still think it'd be a lot of fun to do a live episode, and I've been working with our producer about it.
Kurt
You mean a reading from the actual script?
Janine Turner
Yeah, to do Northern Disclosure live. The podcast live.
Kurt
Oh, do it live. Oh, wow.
Janine Turner
Yeah. And then people can come on and, you know, we could bring them up and they could ask questions and. I don't know, these trivia questions are tough.
Rob
It's been so fun to have you. I mean, thank you for coming on. What a pleasure. Maybe we'll get you on again. And now you got, I think, Jeanine's contact info. You can let us know if there's anything. If, you know, if anyone has any ideas about things we could do on the podcast, we're open.
Kurt
Well, it's been such a pleasure. Thanks so much for having me. I've really enjoyed it.
Janine Turner
And so tell Seattle hello. It was just so beautiful, so beautiful. Those pine trees and the frogs and is it. Is it overrun now or is it still as beautiful as it was?
Alex Goldman
Nope.
Kurt
No, it's still beautiful. I. I love living here still.
Janine Turner
You're enjoying a sun shining day today, which is rare, but in the summer you would see them a little bit more. We were just never there in the summer, right, Rob? We were never there.
Rob
Well, we came back in July. We Were there and.
Janine Turner
And were we off? May and June? Is that when we were off?
Rob
Yeah. We would come back late July, like third week in July usually, and so we'd get August and September's really heaven in Seattle.
Janine Turner
And those. Those days that never end.
Rob
Right? That's right. Long nights.
Janine Turner
The days go on and on and on and on. Well, Kurt, it was really fun. And Rob, it was fun going back and forth remembering. And Kurt, it was. It was really terrific. Thank you. And thank you for all that you've done for the. The show.
Kurt
Oh, thank you.
Janine Turner
Yeah, thank you, all the focused fans and.
Kurt
And thank the two of you for doing this podcast and help. Helping keep it alive. You know, there are those of us that just are focused on this show.
Janine Turner
You almost said it.
Kurt
I did almost say it.
Janine Turner
Passionate. Passionate.
Kurt
Passionate, Absolutely. Yeah.
Janine Turner
Passionate, devoted. Well, I'm just glad it's on Amazon prime and that people can see it because, you know, the younger generations don't really have DVD players that' of these
Kurt
moose fests we get, you know, newer, younger people in their 20s and showing up and because the show stands the test of time.
Janine Turner
That will let us know if we can call in for this one that
Kurt
you're getting ready to do, if anyone's interested. July 24th through the 26th, coming up in Rosslyn. There will be a group of us there. My phone number is on the bulletin board at the post office, so once you get in town, call that number and then we'll tell you which particular bar we're drinking out at the. That moment.
Janine Turner
Is there more than one bar in Roslyn now? It was always the Brick.
Kurt
Oh, there's. There's several. Yes. Roslyn is good on bars.
Janine Turner
Yeah, Well, I guess there was. I guess there was Roslyn's Cafe. Yeah, but that wasn't really a bar.
Kurt
No, but there. Yeah, there. It's been through a couple the past time, the pastime in the day. Was there.
Janine Turner
But was that there?
Rob
Yeah, I think it was.
Janine Turner
Those must be down the street out outside of Roslin. Pioneer town Roslin.
Kurt
No, it's right downtown. In fact, Darren Burrows told me one time that that's the bar they like to go to because they wouldn't bother you, the. The actors.
Janine Turner
I don't remember that at all. No memory of that.
Rob
You knew Weren't going to the bars then, were you?
Janine Turner
No, I was going to see my horse, I guess. Maggie. Whose name was Maggie. Whose name was Maggie when I bought her. People think that they just said that so I would buy her, but her name was actually Maggie. Coincidence. Meant to be.
Rob
Meant to be.
Janine Turner
Oh. Oh, Rob. Okay, let. Let. Wait. We have to. This is really. This is a little fun trivia. Rob, you get 2 secs. Gray, our fabulous producer, if you would put up. Rob gave me this gift, and we can't remember if it was for a birthday or for Christmas or holidays or what it was for, but Rob gave me this gift, and I love it so much.
Rob
I don't remember, except that I was really into folk art at the time, and so I just. I'm sure I spotted that somewhere and must have been looking for something for you. You. And I know how much you love to ride, so it just seemed like something right for you.
Janine Turner
Isn't that fun, Kurt? And it's called Me On My Pony, On My Boat. And I've always loved it so much. And Rob, it's like you gave it to me, but I never got to ask any of these questions, like, what made you get that for me, Rob? And I guess Rob just answered that question. But Lyle Lovett has a song, a wonderful song. Me on My Pony, on My Boat. And so. What a great gift giver.
Kurt
It's beautiful.
Rob
I'm glad you. I'm glad you found it and will be displayed again.
Janine Turner
Oh, yes, yes, I found. I. I had it displayed and it was in the storage unit and that. But I. I'm gonna. I may have to take down My dad's B50, the. My dad's air airplane photo here and put up that. Me on my pony, on my boat.
Rob
Oh, I don't know about that.
Janine Turner
Well, he. We have. I have a lot of his things around. It's okay. Okay. I. I'll move it to another great location. All right, thank you. I thought we'd share a little trivia about back. About that. Thanks, Kurt, so much. Thanks, Rob. All right, bye, everybody. And now we're signing off, and we thank you for joining us. We sincerely, wonderfully do. And thanks for joining o' Connell and Fleischman, and we'll see you next week.
Rob
Actually, I think it should be Fleischman o'.
Janine Turner
Connell. In your dreams, Fleischmann. Northern Disclosure is a production with Evergreen Podcasts and executive produced by Paul Anderson and Scott McCarthy for Workhouse Media.
Alex Goldman
Hi, I'm Alex Goldman. You may know me as the host of Reply all, but I'm done with that. I'm doing something, something else now. I've started a new podcast called Hyperfixed. On every episode of Hyperfixed, listeners write in with their problems, and I try to solve them. Some massive and life altering and some so minuscule it'll boggle your mind. No matter the problem, no matter the size, I'm here for you. That's Hyperfixed, the new podcast from Radiotopia. Find it wherever you listen to podcasts or@hyperfixedpod.com.
Hosts: Rob Morrow and Janine Turner | Guest: Kurt (Fan & MooseFest Organizer)
Release Date: July 21, 2026
Evergreen Podcasts
This episode of Northern Disclosure finds co-hosts Rob Morrow and Janine Turner revisiting Season 4, Episode 14 of Northern Exposure: “Grosse Pointe 48230.” The podcast’s main theme revolves around the uniqueness of this episode, a rare one-shot storyline where Maggie O’Connell brings Joel Fleischman to her Michigan family home, introducing a new cast of characters and shifting the series’ usual narrative balance. The hosts share behind-the-scenes memories, discuss the episode’s production, explore its themes of family dysfunction and character growth, and welcome fan guest Kurt—longtime MooseFest organizer—for in-depth fan insight and trivia.
On Breaking Series Routine (03:22):
Rob and Janine express how the episode was a “palate cleanser” from the usual Cicely setting, giving both actors a sense of filming something fresh and even “like a different show.”
“When you get a break like this, I just remember really feeling like we were off making a movie that was a different show, you know what I mean?” — Rob [02:18]
On Recalling Location Filming:
The episode was filmed on location in Seattle, doubling for Grosse Pointe, Michigan, which stood out for its authenticity and the shift from set to a real house.
“I have so many memories about it. Just... even when I was standing in the kitchen and opening the drawer and being in somebody's house, I mean, it's very tangible to me.” — Janine [04:06]
“Barbara Townsend as Granny, Dylan Baker, my pal from New York... Lisa Waltz, who was Steffi, Jeffy and Steffi, as I said, James Marsters...” — Rob [05:22]
Dysfunctional Families:
Both hosts agree on the authenticity of “family drama” depicted in the episode, with Janine highlighting its realism and Rob noting its universality.
“I really like shows and situations that delve into the nitty gritty of the depths of what real families are like. Because most real families have drama.” — Janine [06:40]
Culture Clash & Personal Growth:
The episode tackles Joel’s outsider status and Jewish identity, contrasting New York with WASPy Midwestern wealth—played up for humor and pathos.
*“Mayonnaise — ‘What don’t you people put this stuff on?’”—*Rob, as Joel [31:24]
“It was more real. That was kind of tender and very sweet.” — Janine, on Joel and Maggie’s deepening connection [31:22]
Subtle Shifts in Command:
Janine observes that in this episode, the leads react more than drive, which adds a fresh dynamic:
“I wasn’t sort of the driving force... I was the receiving force in the scenes. And I just think that that was kind of new.” — Janine [04:06]
Real Locations & Props:
Filming in an actual house led to unexpected discoveries—Janine recounts opening a kitchen drawer and finding the real family’s belongings.
“I opened it up like, oh, oh, oh ... I thought everything in the drawers were gonna be props.” — Janine [11:19]
Accidental Set Damage:
Rob shares a story from a different low-budget shoot about accidentally damaging location property and hiding it.
“So we built a fake wall in front of the real wall ... the thing we threw went through the fake wall and through the real wall and we just moved a dresser in front of it.” — Rob [12:17]
Origins & Details of MooseFest (15:29):
“More often than not, I love the people that love the show.” — Kurt [18:21]
Enduring Fandom & Facebook Groups:
“I just love the show. ... That more often than not, I love the people that love the show.” — Kurt [18:21]
Basketball and Acting “Phenomenon”:
Rob admits not being a good basketball player but somehow reliably sinks shots as Joel on screen; Janine calls it part of “the method.”
“It’s the weirdest thing I know... when I’m playing a character that plays a sport, I always can do it when I’m shooting.” — Rob [09:56]
“Great acting. He did it. The method actor.” — Janine [28:19]
On Emotional Work & Rapid Bonding with Cast:
Both reflect on how actors develop instant intimacy with strangers, creating believable on-screen relationships under pressure.
“You have to become intimate with people very quickly... We open ourselves in a way that normal people don’t.” — Rob [36:51]
Kurt quizzes Rob and Janine on “Grosse Pointe 48230” details and general Northern Exposure trivia—highlighting both their sharp memories for unusual episode specifics and their mutual amusement/forgetfulness.
Mutual Respect Among Cast:
Janine and Rob affirm the set was peaceable, with little drama, and reminisce about colleagues like the late Bebe Besch.
“I think as a rule we didn’t. There was not a lot of upset on our sets.” — Rob [35:02]
The Northern Exposure Legacy:
Both hosts, Kurt, and the fandom continue to cherish the show's place in TV history and its ongoing accessibility, now via Prime Video.
“The show stands the test of time.” — Kurt [49:48]
“There’s a progression in the Maggie Joel thing that is, I think, worth noting... at the end, it comes full circle when Joel kind of just says, ‘Okay, I see you, I see who you are, and I welcome it.’ Or something like that.” — Rob [30:56]
“There was a bond. There was just a connection, a bond, a love, in a way. It was something that just was deeper than, say, sex or attraction... it was more real.” — Janine [31:09]
“I just remember being in the house and opening a drawer... it was filled with all the peoples that live their things.” — Janine [11:13]
“I think you had described it on an earlier one of your podcasts as a ‘benevolent universe,’ and that really strikes a chord with me.” — Kurt [18:21]
This episode offers a rich, nostalgic journey for Northern Exposure diehards—full of insider recollections, on-set quirks, thematic analysis, and passionate fan engagement. The warmth and camaraderie between Rob, Janine, and their guest echo the enduring charm and “benevolent universe” spirit that makes both Cicely and its fanbase special.
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